Today the weather was very kind – sunny and bright yet chilly enough to encourage the volunteers to get stuck in to another shift. The bulk of us assembled in Pontardawe and were soon hard at work.

Unfortunately, Martin set off on the wrong foot by planting a welly in doggy-doo, necessitating some deep cleaning.

The big task was to pull out yet more invasive weed. After allowing some time for the water and creepy-crawlies to return to the cut, the residue was loaded into our cage trailer and pushed down to Cae Pandy Park for safe disposal in the bushes.

Tea was taken with cake provided by three of our star bakers – Margaret, Gill and Ronnie. Whitethorns arrived right on time to enjoy the goodies.

After tea, the remaining weed was cleared away and the path cleaned and washed.

The dynamic duo of Mike and John were busy picking litter.

Meanwhile, down t’ pit, Annette, Gill and Sue coated the coals hewn last week with a stabilising layer of plaster and PVA glue. Now all they need is a coat of paint and fire retardant to make them ready for the museum exhibit.

And finally, Whitethorns gave us a fantastic model made by the staff and service users. More of this next week but already we are planning to display it in the Clydach Canal Centre.

Once again, we all worked hard and accomplished a great deal. The day was made all the more brilliant by the Whitethorns model. The relationship between the Society and Whitethorns is truly wonderful.